Strangers at the Table
by Yugoslavia
Summary: Ash gets snowed in with friends he hasn't seen in years. With nothing to do, Ash and friends play a particularly loaded game of poker.
1. Chapter 1

Layers of snow had fallen on the house, the roof padded with thick clumpy snow on all sides, swamping the chimney up to where only a thin sliver of brick was visible beneath the steaming column. The ridge where the house sat was totally buried, with the snow sloping down to the front yard of the home and surrounding the left and right sides of the home, the front yard forcibly cleared with shovel marks on the surrounding knee-high walls of ice attesting to the difficulty of such a task. All of the windows facing the outside had a thick ridge of packed snow pressed against the frosty glass, masking the warm glow of the inside.

The sun was fading from view, passing down beneath the sloping heights of Mt. Moon. The hazy, snow-swept sky was darkening, turning a deep and lifeless shade of gray as the sun's warmth left it. Thick white flakes of snow continued to fall from the sky, swirling down through the breezy air.

A powerful gust of wind burst up against the back of Ash Ketchum as he walked down the snow-laden streets, his boots trudging through the tracks of where studded tires had gouged through the ice. The hood of his jacket kicked up, clumps of frost exploding over his shoulders and catching in what tufts of hair were beneath his trademark red trainer's cap. Despite the many layers of winter wear beneath his heavy coat, he could feel every lash of the cold gust, chilling him to the bone. Where his face poked out above the tightly wrapped scarf, his eyes visibly winced from the wind.

Down beneath, tucked in the folds of Ash's jacket, Pikachu sneezed. His ears pressed down around his head, wrapping around his circular head for whatever extra warmth he could get from them. He squeezed his eyes shut, further burying himself in Ash's jacket, looking extra worn out.

"Pi-ika..."

"Just a little bit more out here, alright buddy?" said Ash, looking down to Pikachu beneath his scarf. He zipped up his jacket a little more, focusing on the road ahead of him.

Towards the bottom of the curving, uphill stretch of road, a lone car was parked. The lights were still on it, casting light over the bright and extra-reflective snow. Not a lot of snow had collected on the green-colored body of the car, and the black arms of the window wipers squeakily brushed away snow from the windshield, brushing it to the corners of the windows where a sizable amount of snow had gathered.

Through the windows of it, Ash could see someone in the passenger seat of the car: it was Iris.

As Ash approached—rather slowly, keeping his footing in the ice steady—the driver side door popped open, making for a small gap. Ash reached for it, grabbing the inside edge with a gloved hand and opening it. As soon as he had opened it a bit he heard a shout of protest from the inside, making him flinch and threaten to shut the door on accident. Instead, he caught himself, holding the door open only a few small inches.

Sighing, Ash shook his head. He knew what this was about.

"Iris, come on," Ash groaned. He poked his head through, looking into the small, cramped space of the extremely utilitarian vehicle. A gust of hot, engine-tainted air hit him as soon as he looked inside. His nose wrinkled, smelling the musty air that had been pumped through the old car filters. The intense warmth made his eyes burn, almost making him nauseous. Without any warning or invitation, Pikachu hopped out of Ash's jacket, hopping over the drivers seat and hopping onto the center console to face the twin sets of heating vents—immediately looking like he was blissfully melting.

Iris was huddled in her seat, her legs wrapped beneath her arms and pulled up onto the seat with her. Her pink knitted hat had been pulled down over her head and her pink scarf pulled up to just beneath her nose. Between where her legs folded up and pressed against her chest, Axew was buried in the warmth of Iris' body heat, looking content where his head poked up just above her knees. Her wide, curious eyes looked up at Ash, seeming almost oblivious to Ash's thoughts.

Iris' expression immediately changed, looking mildly pained. "Are you sure the car can't go up any more? Didn't you say the road looked pretty clear?" she asked.

"Well, it looks clear for walking. Not exactly driving," said Ash. "At least that's what Dawn said when she sent me a message. It's only a short walk up to the house from here, and I really don't think it's safe to drive."

Iris looked annoyed. "Well, it wouldn't be a big deal if I hadn't underdressed for Snowpocalypse: Kanto Region Edition," she said. "I didn't think Dawn was serious when she said she was leaving the car down here, 'whether I was coming or not'. Seriously, I guess she thinks I'm some sort of kid not to want to walk through this gross weather."

"Well, you can always wear my jacket. I mean, if you like."

Iris gave Ash a strange look. It was one he couldn't quite understand, and he stared at it for a long time. If he wasn't so confused, he would think that Iris was blushing.

"Here, this'll make it easier," said Ash. He quickly unzipped his jacket, pulling his scarf loose from the teeth of his zipper, taking off the thick, puffy blue jacket. He passed it across the inside cabin of the car, handing it to Iris—who was still wearing that baffling blush, confusing Ash further—and taking a step back to adjust the jacket he wore underneath. It was his blue traveling jacket, the long-sleeved version he had worn in the Kalos region, the zipper all the way up on it.

Iris seemed fairly dumbstruck. As she held the jacket in her hands, feeling the residual warmth from Ash's body on the garment. She finally looked up towards Ash, snapped out of her stupor when the sound of the engine stopped, seeing out of the corner of her eye that Ash had turned the key out of ignition and taken it.

"Come on, let's get going!" said Ash, showing his typical boyish smile moments before shutting the door.

With the door shut, none of the cold coming in from the outside world, the trudging sound of Ash's footsteps being drowned out by the whooshing sound of the heating vents, Iris thought to herself silently, staring ahead at the dashboard. As her legs folded down, her hands pulling apart the inner flaps of the jacket so as to put it on, she felt Axew hop out of the folded, makeshift compartment of her legs and onto the center console with Pikachu, nudging him aside so as to get to the warmth of the twin heating vents—though she wasn't paying attention to them.

"I guess he's changed a little..." Iris muttered to herself quietly, feeling her blush lingering.

Moments later, Ash was standing outside the passenger door of the car, arms wrapped tightly around his torso in a weak attempt to stay warm. His body was stiff, held together to preserve all warmth, feeling the snowflakes that fell down seeping through his jacket. By now he had estimated it had been between three and five minutes since he had last heard from Iris.

As Ash was getting ready to go up to the door and say something, the passenger door finally opened. It was immediately coupled with a girlish shriek as snow knocked loose from the roof of the car spilled onto Iris' hat, immediately falling through the knitted space and soaking her hair. Iris' desperate attempt to reach up and brush away any more snow from seeping into her hat relinquished her grip on the door, sending it falling on it's hinge towards her. Ash ran up and reached out just in time, grabbing the door. He stopped it, his footsteps skidding beneath him as he hit an icy patch and the edge of his sneakers drifted into a small cluster of snow, stopping him from sliding another inch. Though the small sliding sensation hadn't done much to phase him, Ash still reached out to the inner post at the door's handle for some sense of stability.

Just as Ash was getting his bearings, he looked up to meet with a particularly dirty look from Iris. Her hand swatted his away from the post, making him back up. As she leaned forward in her seat, her legs dangling over the edge of the seat, Axew in her lap with wide, terrified eyes that stared at the snow below, she grimaced.

"I got it, alright? Jeez, back off," Iris protested, getting up out of the seat. Her hand reached for the door to hold it open, leaning forward and giving Ash an annoyed look.

Ash looked skeptical, and a bit hurt. "Iris, I was just trying to help."

"Well, you can help when I've— _whoa_!"

Ash had turned away for only a moment, tracking the path ahead of him up the road to walk away from the car and give Iris some space. He had only made it a few short steps before he heard Iris' shouts, and the sound of skidding ice. He turned, looking back to see Iris' legs flailing as she stepped onto the slick ice, her arms thrown about around her as she flew backwards. After a single, suspended moment in-air, she tumbled to the ground with a sudden, silenced impact, a bluff of frost kicking up from the soft, packed cushion of snow she landed on. From where Axew had been in her arms, he had flown through the air, spinning and squealing, moments before landing in a cluster of snow-covered bushes on the side of the road.

"Iris!" Ash shouted. As he turned to sprint down the snowy stretch of road, he reached back involuntarily towards the spot under his jacket where his utlity belt housed his Pokeballs, where he grabbed at frigid air. The Pokeball for Greninja was no longer there—as Ash remembered moments later his last moments with Greninja only a few short months ago.

"Pika!"

Pikachu had leaped from the center console in the car, running up to the open door and the edge of the passenger seat where Iris formerly sat to look out into the snow drift where Iris had landed. He turned for only a moment, craning his head up to see through the window where his raised ears had heard the crunching, quick footsteps of Ash coming. He then immediately hopped out of the car, his tail swatting the corner of the door and closing it moments before he landed on all fours in a smaller patch of snow.

Though Ash had been momentarily caught off-guard by the thought and memory of Greninja, he had still managed to hurry down the street to reach the side of the car, looking for where Iris was sprawled out. Something caught his eye moments before he found her—a rustling from the bushes by his side. Though Ash's thoughts first darted to if it was a wild Pokemon, his mind immediately flashed to the image of Axew being flung from Iris' arms in the commotion, and that image materialized before his eyes as a freezing, snow-covered Axew waddled out of the bushes and onto the snow-covered dirt, looking particularly ill.

" _Gaaahh_!"

A frigid shout came from Iris as she hopped up from where she had been sprawled on the snowy ground, practically having made a snow angel with her impact. She quickly dusted herself up, hurtling herself up off the snow and into an upright sitting position. She gasped, moving desperately to push the snow off of her body. When she got up onto her feet—noticeably making sure that she was standing on steady ground—she immediately dusted off her pants, making no small effort at having manners as she dusted off snow from her backside.

Before Ash could even ask Iris a simple question, Iris took off running, she ran up the hill, her stride lengthy to compensate for the ample amount of trudging she was having to do to get through the dense layers of snow. As she had seen Ash do moments before when he came down the hill, she followed the large tire tracks of a previous set of wheels, only deviating from the path to snag Axew from where he stood alone on the side of the road.

Taking an icy, confused breath, Ash looked up and stared through the haze of his exhalation. Pikachu had trudged through the ice clusters down by Ash's sneakers to look up at him, then also choosing to stare at Iris as she ran up.

"It's not so bad!" Iris called back down. "Come on, hurry up! It's not that cold, you silly kid!"

Ash shook his head, Pikachu also rubbing his forehead. He reached into his pant pocket, reaching for his key fob and clicking the button. The car behind him beeped, the locks clicking and the lights flashing once.


	2. Chapter 2

The rising hill was finally leveling out as both Ash and Iris reached the top. A short driveway sloped down towards the snowed-in cabin, the first stop on the road before it continued on to more of the hills that surrounded Mt. Moon. The snow leading up it was mostly fresh, white and packed, with a single set of bootprints leading up to the front porch of the cabin—presumably Dawn's.

"You're not out of breath, are you?"

As Ash raised his head, looking up from where he had momentarily slumped, he saw Iris looking down at him. Her face had become overshadowed by the setting sun as it passed beneath the small, distant mountains at the horizon, a halo seeming to radiate from her head as it eclipsed what little was left of the sun. The dense body of the indigo-hued hair behind her head seemed hazy as the sun glowed through the edges, showing through the taught, pulled back lengths that stuck out beneath her knitted hat.

Ash shook his head, despite panting. He blinked, beads of sweat moving down his slick forehead and turning his brow into a sopping mess. Despite his clearly overheated state, his breath still showed in the air in thick, white wisps.

"Why did we have to run all the way up here...?" Ash wheezed, looking out of the corner of his eye to see how far down the car was.

Iris looked indignant, but amused. "So that we wouldn't be in the cold so long, you goof," she replied, snidely. "Come on, we're just about there."

As Iris turned, Ash could see just behind her that, in the blue hood of her jacket—his jacket, borrowed—Axew was riding just behind, buried in the warm felt folds of the insulated section, the majority of his torso tucked underneath her hair and a single arm reaching up over her shoulder to hold himself steady. As she stepped up from the tracks that the large studded tires had left—the ones they had followed up the road—and stepped onto the fresh, untouched snow, she walked past Pikachu, who had gone just ahead of him and was buried halfway up his torso in snow after sitting down in it. Though Pikachu looked somewhat content, no longer shivering as he had moments earlier as he currently had Ash's red scarf wrapped around his whole body, Iris took the opportunity to kick up some loose powdery snow in his direction. The snow smattered all over the side of Pikachu's face, forcing him to shut an eye and making his ears look lopsided. When he shook off the snow and looked up in annoyance at Iris, he caught Iris giggling as she kept walking.

Though Pikachu had taken up chase, making Iris run down the hill and laugh madly, Ash followed quietly through the snow, not paying attention to any of the game the two were playing. Each step sank him up to his ankles, making his pace the same as if he had been underwater. He seemed oblivious to the two of them running down the hill, instead seeming lost in thought on... something. Even Iris' shrill shrieks as a large, thunderbolt cracked across the snowy driveway and made a gigantic, geyser-like eruption of snow explode just a few feet in front of her didn't make him snap back to reality, he continued to walk down the driveway, trudging through the snow silently.

A set of old wood boards thumped quietly as Iris walked up them, knocking snow off of each step as she reached the porch. She stopped for a moment on the iron grate welcome mat, stomping the soles of her boots and mashing whatever snow had caked to the underside through to the floorboards beneath. As she did, walking her dried boots across the dry boards of the deck, Iris approached the edge of the porch. She brushed piled snow off of the wooden railing, folding her arms and leaning over it. A silent, meaningful smile appeared on her as she looked up the hill of the driveway, watching Ash as he followed.

"You weren't nearly this quiet last night," said Iris, her eyes teasing.

Ash looked up at Iris, looking mildly embarrassed but tried to brush it off. "You bumped into me on the train," said Ash, giving a gentle exhale as he felt the ground level out and bring him to the front of the cabin. "Then... Then we went to the same Pokemon Center, got separate rooms, and then went to bed. I don't think I talked a lot last night either, did I?"

Watching Ash as he walked up the steps of the cabin, Iris took a seat back onto a mesh chair, reaching down to undo the velcro straps on her pink boots. She gripped the heel, yanking the boot off and nearly taking her sock off with it. As she knocked residual snow off of the boot, knocking it against the side of the chair he sat in, she glanced up to Ash as he walked onto the porch, his footsteps rattling the old boards. She watched him carefully, switching the way her legs folded over each other and reaching down to remove the straps from her boots in an identical fashion.

"Total coincidence," Iris grinned. "I guess you seemed pretty distracted last night on the train too."

"Huh?" asked Ash, glancing down at Iris' removed boots and looking back down at his sneakers, putting together what to do in his head. The toes of his sneakers pressed to his heels, helping worm his foot out. "Yeah, well, that just happens sometimes, I guess."

Iris let out a laugh. "More than a little," she laughed, shaking her head. "What a kid..."

That annoyed Ash. More than a little, in fact. Though he stared at her for several long, annoyed seconds, seeming distracted as he paced back across the porch towards where he had seen other shoes had been stacked at the base of the cabin's siding.

As soon as he begun setting his shoes down neatly beside the others, the one moment he had spent looking down at the ground and away from Iris, he saw something moving just out of the corner of his eye. He looked over just in time to see a pink boot hurtling towards him at full speed, giving him only seconds to throw his arms up and catch it. The force and surprise made him stumble back, his hands stinging from the hard sole hitting his palms—the part where it was wet and cold only adding to the stinging sensation. He looked up at Iris with an immediate fury.

"Iris! Hey! What are you— _aaughh_!"

Ash had gone to protest but when he looked up he saw another boot flying towards him. When he tried to block it, throwing his arms up, he inadvertently dropped the boot from his grip, realizing it was too late. He ducked down, dropping down quickly, hearing the boot fly at collide with the wood siding of the cabin with a powerful thump. The boot clattered across the deck, skidding towards the ends of it.

Knocked off balance, Ash found himself quickly falling back. He stumbled down onto the ground, landing on his back, the heels of his hands burning as the poor attempt to brake himself forced the meaty heel of his hand against the weathered wood grain, making him yelp in pain. He felt his hat fall from his head, his body moving with only the simplest of movements to lift himself up from the ground as he fought a building ache. He groaned through gritted teeth, feeling his head spin.

After he had regained his senses, Ash heard a giggling from the far end of the porch. He knew it was Iris, and he knew she was enjoying herself.

"Oh jeez, sorry Ash... Ehehehe..." Iris chuckled, the knuckle of her gloves brushing away a small tear from the corner of her eye.

Ash still hadn't fully sat himself up yet. He heard footsteps, but had no idea where Iris was until his confused, darting eyes suddenly saw Iris' black-socked feet walking within inches of his face as she walked towards the end of the porch where her boot had landed. As he replayed to himself the last few seconds before he was on the ground, he looked up to the siding, seeing where a sizable scuff mark had appeared on the old siding.

As Ash's eyes wandered down, searching only briefly for where the boot that had been in his hands had landed, he noticed something curious about the bottom of the wall. Beside where he had neatly laid his sneakers out beside the others, he finally noticed all the different shoes that had been laid out.

Dawn's pink boots, with their tall rigid sides standing taller than the rest were the easiest to notice—but Ash noticed something particularly interesting about all the others.

There was a pair of simple, red, tomboyish sneakers.

There was a pair of rugged, tough and agile orange sneakers.

There was a pair of simple, rustic and equally fashionable pair of brown cowgirl boots.

Ash's gaze lingered on the cowgirl boots, briefly connecting in his head whose petite feet typically wore those, when he heard the door opening at the front of the cabin. The hinges whined, the door itself creaking as it opened, a footstep landing on the floorboards of the porch and sending reverberations that Ash felt.

"Hey, what's going on out here? I heard something hit the walls, really hard. Is everything—"

The sound of newly arrived person was audible, and Ash had heard exactly who it was. He didn't need to look up to know.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried, his cheeks crackling with excitement.

Ash sat himself up, turning his head and looking up.

Misty was standing in the doorway.

"Hello Ash, long time no see!" Misty beamed, walking out from the door way and over towards Ash. Her eyes were wide, her blue-green eyes bright and lively as always. Her fiery red hair was bushy, pulled into a sideways pigtail. Her arms and legs were turning a bright shade of pink with little to cover them or hide them from the frigid weather, wearing only an old yellow t-shirt and jean shorts, a trademark pair of red suspenders crossing over her shoulders.

"Misty, hi...!" Ash said, his voice coming as a groan to both his and Misty's surprise.

Misty immediately looked concerned. She hurried over to him, stooping down, arms prepared and hovering over him to address anything that looked off. She could see no wounds, just detecting a bit of soreness all around, giving her a relieved smile to show.

"Ash, what happened here? How'd you get all the way down here? Did something happen?" asked Misty. She immediately turned her head up to Iris, who had been standing in the corner out of the whole scene, clutching her lone boot. Misty's expression immediately turned. "Did you do something to him? Huh?" asked Misty, seeming annoyed.

Iris looked more stunned than anything. "I... He started it!"

"Likely story," Misty said, looking back down to Ash, turning her annoyance on him. "Although I'm sure you weren't exactly giving her any good reasons to stop, were you?"

Before Ash could answer, he felt Misty grabbing his arm, pulling him sharply up and forward, helping to roll him up into a fully sitting, upright position. He had been momentarily caught off-guard, feeling how strong Misty was in the sudden move. As he looked up to Misty to defend himself, he watched as Misty grabbed his hat from behind, picking it up and securing it down onto his forehead. Instead of replying, he couldn't help an infectious smile.

This caught Misty off-guard. "What? What's wrong?"

Ash threw his arms around Misty, pulling her close. She nearly stumbled, her arms flying around him and holding him close—involuntarily at first, but when she realized she wrapped them tightly, rubbing his arms gently.

"It's so good to see you!" said Ash, unable to contain his joy.

"It's good to see you too," said Misty. "Come on, let's get you inside. It's much warmer in cabin."

As the two of them got up, hoisting Ash off his sore sitting posture and onto his feet, Misty helped Ash to the door with great care, making sure he didn't trip over her bare feet or over his own feet. She kept a close hand on his arm.

Iris watched silently from behind.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm surprised we still have power. One of my sisters messaged me earlier today telling me they lost power for the whole town. They had to shut down the gym early, and it sounds like they're starting their dinner early. It's really a shame, I was planning on stopping by after, but I can't imagine trying to drive or even walk in this weather," said Misty. "I'm glad you all made it in too, and that everyone is safe."

"Me too," Iris interjected.

Though Misty had walked only a few steps ahead, just entering the living room and setting Ash's jacket over the edge of a couch, she stopped for only a moment, turning back. She gave a blank look past Ash and over at Iris, looking confused.

"I'm glad you made it too, Iris! I was hoping I'd get the chance to meet you someday," said Misty. "Ash has had nothing but positive things to say about you."

Iris looked surprised. She did a small swallow without even realizing, truncating her reply. "Really...?"

Even Ash looked confused. He looked back at Misty, frowning, his brow raised in skepticism. "Wait, what? I did? When was that?"

"Well, I guess your mom passed that one along to me. I haven't talked with you over the phone since Sinnoh!"

At the mention of Sinnoh, Ash perked up, following Misty further into the living room, leaving behind a stiff, heavily breathing Iris.

The living room took up the most space in the cabin, blending into other rooms of the house like the small dining table, the entryway, and even came into contact with counters and cabinets of the kitchen. Warmth oozed from every inch of the wood panel walls, radiating from the most central point in the cabin where a massive fireplace plumed. Though Ash could smell hints of baked goods in the kitchen, the powerful smell of charred wood that bled out of the stacked black iron grates in front of the fireplace was powerful and comforting. A pair of couches faced each other around a wide, mahogany coffee table, topped with glass, various wood bowls of snacks, and an empty box of playing cards—two jokers stacked inside.

Ash could hear talking. As he walked closer, approaching the plaid-patterned couches, he could see just over the backs of them and where the brick-laid base of the fireplace was. A second box of cards had been set aside on the thick, furry rug, set beside two neat arrays of cards on the ground.

May was sitting on the rug, her legs folded neatly beneath her as she sat with a lone card in her hand, staring down at the spread of cards that faced her. She looked deep in thought, preoccupied as she thought hard about what her next move would be. As she heard talking, seeing movement just above the couch, she turned her eyes up to see who it was. Her green bonnet had been removed, her feathery bangs brushed down in front of her eyes by accident, forcing her to look through a curtain of light brown hair. As she brushed it aside, her head lifting to see if it was truly who she thought it was, she immediately brightened. Her lightly tanned skin flickered in the light of the fire, a warm blanket pulled over her shoulders and wrapped around her arms.

"Ash...!"

In front of May, Ash saw a white hat turn. Dawn looked up from her own game of cards, immediately looking bright and excited. A set of round blue eyes grew wide, an intelligent smile appearing just beneath. From where she was lying on her belly, a pillow tucked underneath, Dawn quickly got up, pushing herself from the ground.

"Ash, hi!"

May was on her feet first, hopping around the coffee table and running around to the edge of the table. She raced up to Ash, holding nothing back when she threw her arms around Ash, pulling him into a tight and surprising hug. Ash stumbled forward into the hug, pulled into May's intense warmth from the fire's side, looking confused with his arms outstretched.

"Whoa, hey May! It's good to see— _whoa_!"

Ash's reply was cut off as he felt someone's arms wrap around his neck and pull him back. May's hug didn't relent, pulling her with him as he felt the warmth of someone hugging him from behind. Streaks of bluish hair brushed by Ash's cheek as he felt Dawn holding him, encasing him in a double-sided wall of friends.

"It's been so long, Ash! I was beginning to worry it would be years before I'd hear you again, let alone see you in person!" exclaimed Dawn.

Crammed between both of his former companion's faces, Ash's face was turning purple quickly, starved of breath and squeezed to his limits. Trying to wriggle his way out of the constricting hugs did little to spare him the trappings of her hug.

From the side, Misty entered, looking somewhat smug and satisfied with her handiwork.

"Wow Ash, you seem like you've got more on your plate than you can handle," said Misty. "You're going to let those two girls drain you completely. You really should save some strength for Serena."

At the mention of Serena, Ash suddenly burst out of the hug.

"Serena?"

* * *

Much of the sun had faded from the back area of the cabin, where a space built for lounging and admiring the scenic atmosphere behind it had been turned largely into storage. Boxes had been stacked high, various memories and household trinkets stacked further atop the various boxes, making for a narrow path that led to the very back corner where the kitchen was housed. The tall doorway, glowing with the warm lights of the kitchen interior seeming like portal to another world. Indeed, from the small visible section that the doorway offered, the butcher block posted near the edge of it seemed luxurious as it stood on clean and smooth linoleum floors, like it was from another world and had nothing to do with the cabin itself.

Ash followed carefully—not only to avoid tripping over items that had fallen onto the pathway ahead of him—trying to take everything in about the moment. Something was sizzling in the kitchen, and the sounds of kitchen utensils and other cooking utilities clanging in the echoing space seemed to add to the depth of the implied kitchen. The smell was intoxicating, the only thing that could reach Ash through the intense campfire smell that came from the fireplace and had seemingly seeped into the very foundation of the cabin years ago.

Then, a humming.

It was a fleeting glimpse, but it locked Ash into the moment. He saw Serena hurrying quickly in front of the doorway, moving to some other end of the kitchen. Ash had taken in everything he could in that one simple glimpse that he could, trying to process it all.

Serena was wearing a simple pink blouse, buttoned up neatly with the sleeves rolled up over her elbows. The dainty collar of the shirt had been buttoned down, only barely tweaked to support the neck cord of a maroon apron that she had put on. Though Serena's shirt was typically tucked in, she had let it slide this one time, the ends of her shirt hanging over where her slim black leggings began. The thin red cord at the edges of the apron had laced around behind Serena's back, knotted together in a dainty bow; seemingly perfect on accident. Her hair had grown longer, past where it was normally so neatly and uniformly trimmed around the apex of her skull and approaching where it had been when Ash had first traveled with her. The hair itself was pinned up, in something of a sloppy and homely bun on her head, looking somewhat familiar to the way her hair was worn before.

Serena had reached for a baking sheet—one that Pancham had finished scooping balls of cookie dough onto—turning from where she was finishing the preparations for some other baked good. Though her head was turned down, her eyes darted up from where they watched the baking sheet she was picking up, looking into the doorway to see Ash stepping out of the dim hallway and into the light of the kitchen. Her whole head raised suddenly to see it was really him, her eyes going wide, her pupils disappearing into the blue depths of her eyes as she gasped. The baking sheet slipped out of her fingers, plummeting to the floor and rattling—much to Pancham's exhausted annoyance, as he picked up the metal scoop in his hand.

"Ash...!"

Ash had been so hypnotized by the scene that the clattering sound of the baking pan had alarmed him. When he looked up from where his instincts had pointed him—the pan on the floor—he looked up, seeing that Serena's normally serene look was suddenly wild and excited. His first instinct was to take a step back, almost as if to hide, but he couldn't as Serena quickly ran around the fallen baking sheet and ran up to Ash.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried, leaping out from between Ash's legs and landing onto the linoleum kitchen floor. His tiny black eyes beamed in the warmth of the kitchen light, a bit of electricity crackling out of his red cheeks.

In his bewildered state, Ash looked down to see that Pikachu had appeared. Before he could search for some kind of explanation, he felt the sudden approach from in front of him as Serena ran up and glomped him, knocking Ash into the doorway. As soon as he had stopped any lingering momentum he looked down to see Serena's slender arms wrapped around his body, hugging him close. A head of golden hair was brushing up just beneath his. What little warmth Serena's body contained passed onto Ash, making him feel overheated.

"Oh my goodness Ash, it's so good to see you!" gushed Serena. She looked up, a brimming smile plastered on her face. Her complexion was turning pink from all the sudden activity, as well as a sense of general embarrassment from such a shameless display.

"Yeah Serena, it's good to see you too!" said Ash. He was happy, now that he had finally gotten his bearings.

When he looked down at Serena, his arms around her as well, a moment passed between the two of them, both staring at each other's eyes.

Then, the moment passed.

Ash looked sheepish. He released his arms, and then immediately Serena released hers, her arms shrinking towards her body as she stepped away. She looked down away, adjusting her hair to make sure that some of the hair that hung down and around her face hadn't been tangled up in her face. Despite any sense of embarrassment, Serena couldn't suppress her own smile, and out of the corner of her eye she could see that Ash was smiling just as much, despite the awkward adjusting of his hat.

Both of them spoke at the same time.

"How's Hoenn?"

"What have you been up to?"

Smiles faded, both looked at each other curiously, thinking to themselves. They both seemed to be on the edge of speaking or asking a question, constantly switching between the possibilities of both and debating silently.

"I have so much to tell you!" Serena beamed, verging on gushing once again. "The Hoenn region is incredible! I have done so much in the past four months that you wouldn't believe any of— _aaaahh_!"

Serena leapt back, her arms flying out beside her to offset her swaying balance, a leg kicking up in the air. A cringing, terrified look appeared on her face as she hopped back on a single leg, catching herself on the center island in the kitchen, leaning herself against it and brushing her exposed arm on a spread of white, powdery flour, knocking some onto her blouse. A lock of hair, long and grown out on the side of her face, flopped over and fell on her face, covering it in a messy display.

Before Ash could wonder what had happened, he felt Pikachu stumbling against his leg, seemingly thrown back and knocked aside from when Serena kicked her leg. He looked down at his dazed partner, stooping down to collect him and rest him against his planted leg, cradling him as his pudgy yellow body slumped up against him. As he helped his head up with his hand, Ash noticed something peculiar: cookie dough, smeared around Pikachu's lips.

Confused, Ash turned, looking over to Serena. She had leaned herself against the central island, her leg still raised up slightly in the air, her foot dangling awkwardly. Both Ash and Serena looked at the same point: Serena's foot, bare just beneath where the fitted leggings hugged above her milk-white ankles. The pink sides of her bare foot were smeared with cookie dough. Down on the linoleum floors, a messy set of smeared, half-formed, doughy footprints tracked their way in a frenzied path towards where Serena had been standing moments earlier, running through the smashed lumps of cookie dough that had fallen to the ground moments eariler.

Looking back at Pikachu, Ash watched as his partner licked the cookie dough from his lips, looking rather embarrassed.

Serena chuckled, embarrassed. "Eheh... Let me go clean up..."


	4. Chapter 4

The tiny window on the old oven glowed weakly, signs of age muted through the thick glass. The silhouette of a new baking sheet was visible, new lumps of cookie dough sagging as they cooked in the intense heat. A gentle ticking could be heard as the timer sitting by the stovetop counted down the seconds to when the cookies would be done.

Squatting over the spot where Serena had dumped all the cookie dough on the floor moments earlier, Pancham had turned the whole space into a watery, suds-y puddle as he scrubbed with a sponge, getting last of the grimy cookie dough that had been smeared into old tears in the linoleum surface. He looked beat, completely exhausted as he stood up from his work, his paws stepping around with each footstep seeming more unsure than the last as he tried to stand himself straight. The soapy water had been caught in the fur of his legs and just under his belly. Sighing to himself, he crossed the soapy area and tossed the sponge in the bucket of water, grabbing for the folded rag that had been set on a shelf of the central island. As he did, crossing the watery expanse, he slipped, falling onto his back, making the water splash up around him.

"Paaaann..."

"Oh goodness, Pancham!" Serena said, sounding very distressed to hear the thump of his large, melon-like head on the watery floor. "Stop it! I told you I was going to clean it up. If only you would just wait! Ash, come and take Pancham away from the mess that I've made."

Serena was sitting on the floor, leaning against lacquered wood cabins beside the white, old oven, close to the corner. She had crossed her leg—the one with the cookie dough on her foot—over the top of the clean one, the sole of her foot half facing her. With paper towels, dipped lightly in a glass of water that sat beside her, she cleaned her foot of any goopy mess that had been left when she stepped in it, being meticulous about it. She had checked her pedicure several times, making sure it had been preserved, each time confirming the exact same thing she had confirmed moments earlier.

Ash had been standing in the middle of the kitchen for several minutes, confused. He had successfully helped Pancham put together another batch of cookie dough to make into cookies, prepped the baking sheet and then set up the oven to cook, but all of it had been done with Serena's close supervision. Ash had been supposed to be helping Serena so that way she could wipe off the cookie dough from her foot—a relatively simple task that would take no time at all to complete—but Ash's constant near missteps had caused Serena to take more of an active role, supervising the whole process from start to finish. Now, having helped Serena make another batch, he wasn't quite sure what to do. He wasn't necessarily interested in watching—though Serena had rather elegant feet, feet made him somewhat uncomfortable—and he wasn't sure if Serena was ready to talk about something other than baking—not only did Serena look like she was deeply concentrated on the task (just as she was with any task related to her appearance) Ash wasn't sure if he was about to be pulled into another chore.

In the middle of all of Ash's thinking and Serena's cleaning, Pancham had managed—albeit with several slippery, clumsy attempts—to get himself off the floor and onto two legs, sporting a sopping wet backside. He had managed to grab the wash cloth, unfolding the washcloth with a single flinging of his arm, letting it drift down to the ground and land squarely in the center of the spread, soapy water. He planted a foot on it, backtracking and dragging it through the suds, helping to dry it.

As Pancham resumed cleaning, dragging the cloth through the water with the awkward process of dragging his foot on the edge and then hobbling along with the lone free leg he had, the memory of slipping and falling hadn't crossed his mind at all. Moments later, after several frustrated attempts to make the cloth follow him, he slid forward and caught himself colliding into the bucket of soapy water. A fresh layer of soapy water splashed up over the lip from the shaking, throbbing bucket, dumping directly onto Pancham's head.

"Pancham, stop it! Ash, can you please get him?" Serena groaned, wadding the current paper towel that she had in her hand and tossing it to the side, knocking it against the pile of other wadded-up and used paper towels. As she tore another sheet of paper towel from the roll, she inspected her foot again, making great efforts to ensure it was as pristine as every other part of her body.

Ash, snapped from his stupor, hurried down towards Pancham as he saw the bucket wobbling, threatening to tip completely as Pancham grabbed at the handle to pull himself up. Both of his hands grabbed around his little torso and hoisted him up, feeling his grip shift quickly and instinctively as Pancham squirmed and tried to wriggle his way out. He was careful himself as he stepped around the spread of soapy water, trying his best not to give himself an excuse to slip and fall. Carefully, as his steps brought him around to the center island, Ash searched the surface for a place to land Pancham, finding a folded towel to set the wet, dangling paws on. He was quick, spreading the towel as he balanced Pancham's body in a single hand—Pancham not being particularly heavy but just heavy enough to make him wobble in a grip that wasn't supposed to crush him. Setting him down, Ash gave a sigh of relief.

"Goodness Ash, I really can't believe it's you. I mean, I knew you were coming—we had talked on the video phone like a week or two ago, but even then I sometimes wondered if I had dreamed it up and it wasn't real. It just... couldn't be real! Eheheh..."

When Ash looked over from where he stood by the center island, having watched as Pancham meticulously and rather aggressively wiped his paws on the towel he stood on like a large rug, he met with a curious and bright smile from Serena. She had looked up, as if just to smile at him, having set aside another wadded towel and pausing before grabbing another. It made Ash flinch when he realized he had been staring—again—his hands disappearing behind his head and scratching at where the back edge of his hat was dragging on his hair.

"Yeah, me too..."

"I feel so bad that our chat was so short then, too! I've been meaning to ask you so many questions, it's like I had them all listed out in my head right before I had gone to talk with you—and then they were just as gone as soon as I saw you on the terminal screen!" said Serena, still seeming as overexcited as she was nervous. As soon as she swallowed, it was like the cautious, refined Serena was coming back through again. "I mean... I wasn't sure... Where have you been? Didn't you say you were supposed to go to Alola? The video number that your mom gave me didn't look like an Alolan number..."

Ash looked tense. He brushed it off, walking away from where he had stood near the edge of the center island and moving close to the array of cabinets on the opposite side.

"I have plenty of stories to tell," said Ash, smiling earnestly. "I'd love to hear how you are liking Hoenn, too. Maybe we could chat after dinner? Maybe do something?"

If Serena had looked any more stunned Arceus would have had to appear in that very room. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red that would rival Pikachu's cheeks as she stared in stunned silence. Involuntarily, her lip quivered, her hand automatically raising to cover her cheeks as she stared up at Ash—Ash in return looking totally oblivious to any change in Serena's demeanor, only slightly aware that something was unique about her reaction.

"I-I mean... D-Don't you wanna t-talk with your f-friends...? I don't... I don't wanna keep you from them..."

"It's no trouble, Serena," said Ash. "I feel bad that I've distracted you and you've spent all this time trying to clean up after me."

Serena giggled a little too nervously. "It's my fault, shouldn't have gone barefoot, eheh... But it's really no trouble! Really!"

Serena's arm reached up behind her, reaching for the kitchen counter to pull herself up and off the ground. She was watching the ground as she stood herself up and put her legs beneath her, her hand feeling blindly for some kind of handhold on the counter behind her. As she did, her arm brushed tenuously near a large container of flour—something that Ash noticed with a certain terror.

Before Ash could walk up and stop her arm from bumping into the flour, Ash watched as her other arm reached up and knocked the container forward.

"Serena!"

Serena looked up to Ash, looking confused. A shadow passed over her head as the container tumbled forward, flour exploding out the top of it and dumping down her pink blouse. Serena stifled a shriek—it was all she could do not to panic as she looked at her ruined shirt, moments before the container collided with the floor and broke in two, dumping flour over the floor.

By Ash's side, Pancham covered his face.

"Eheh..." Serena chuckled nervously, unable to bring herself to look at Ash. "Let me... Let me go change in the other room..."

* * *

The next room over was dark, and as soon as Ash entered in through it, he had completely blocked out the light that came in from the kitchen. His quick pace out of the kitchen had carried him in several steps until it came to him moments later that he was near completely engulfed in the dark of the room. The light had disappeared from outside the windows, and the sun was minutes from setting behind the mountains it had passed over hours earlier.

As he stopped, Ash heard the last of Pikachu's bounding footsteps as he entered in behind him, passing around his legs and going on in front of him. The dark of his own shadow blocked Ash from seeing where Pikachu had disappeared to, but he didn't have to wonder for much longer as moments later a powerful thud came from where Pikachu had slammed into the legs of a chair. He heard Pikachu's distinctive, diminutive groans, just enough to tell him that it wasn't a serious collision. Though his first instinct was to panic, clenching his teeth and reaching his hands out from his side to reach for Pikachu in the darkness, Ash took a moment to pause as he listened to Pikachu stirring. He then relaxed, standing a little straighter, and just listening.

Turning to look back over his shoulder, the sounds of Serena prepping were distant. Even though Serena was only a few dozen feet into the kitchen and around the corner to the end where she had been down, the walls obscured her sound. In moments, her light, dainty footsteps and her hurried, dainty voice passed out of the kitchen and into the halls of the home. Listening closer, Ash could hear that there was still sound radiating through the walls from all of Ash's former companions.

Ash then came to a startling conclusion: he had gone the wrong way. He had journeyed in from the front of the cabin, putting himself in the far right corner when he had first entered, and now he was in the far left corner, opposite from where he had been.

"Oh man, Pikachu. Looks like we went the wrong way."

As Ash squinted through the dim remaining light, the rest of the room becoming clearer, and he saw that he had arrived in a dining room. A table in the center had been set, covered with a lone table cloth and surrounded by chairs. Placemats had been set at every single chair, as well as cloth napkins with silverware in them. Cabinets filled with old china had been placed in the opposite corners of the room: one by the entrance to the kitchen and one by the entryway to another room. As Ash peered in down the entrance to another room, he saw that it was full of things that had been covered with old, white cloths to hide them—presumably as they had been for a long time. Something about the room gave Ash chills, and though he had been wandering forward to see it as a possible exit option he decided against it.

Ash backtracked, turning to leave the room and go back through the kitchen—having heard by the silence in the kitchen that Serena had left. As he did, he thought he heard something or someone moving behind him.

Suddenly, someone grabbed for Ash's arm yanking him back into the room.

"Yaaahh! Hey!" Ash shouted, stumbling back as he tried to keep up with whoever was pulling him in. His free arm flew back, reaching around and trying to swing at whoever had grabbed him. As the force that pulled him back grew, becoming quicker and quicker, Ash's free arm switched to trying to grab at the dining table as he was pulled past it, unable to reach it and turning into a vain struggle.

"Pika!"

Pikachu pulled himself up from where he had been hunched over, sitting on the ground beside the chair he had collided with. His head popped up from where it had been tucked under his own rubbing, caring arm, his ears standing up as he watched Ash get pulled back. His cheeks crackled defensively as he then leaped forward on all fours, giving chase as Ash stumbled into the dark, ominous exit and into the domain of white, cloth-covered, presumably ancient things.

Ash then rounded a corner around a tall, covered object, disappearing from view. Pikachu ran after and skidded to a halt, bringing himself directly in front of the direction where Ash had disappeared to. A door slammed in Pikachu's face, the rush of air flying at him and making his ears flop back. As he winced, a cloud of dust kicking up from the unfinished floor and making his little black nose wrinkle, Pikachu looked up with a deeply worried look on his face.

"Pika... Chu?"

Something suddenly clattered in the kitchen, just out of view. Pikachu's head turned to hear footsteps.

Inside the closet, Ash was immersed in total darkness. The smell of dust and cobwebs filled his nose, making him gag. As he squirmed and protested, making annoyed grunts and kicking his legs, he felt another hand firmly grasp his arm and make him stop.

"Aaaah! Hey! What's going on?" Ash protested, still trying to fight whoever he was in the closet with.

The light in the closet suddenly kicked on. In the small, filled-up space, shelves going to the ceiling and practically bursting with all sorts of knick-knacks, Ash looked up to see who was holding him as she faced him directly. He looked stunned and just as confused.

It was Misty.


End file.
